


All the world's a stage.

by youngjusticewriter



Series: Elrics through the looking glass. [8]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ishbalan | Ishvalan, Gen, Ishbalan | Ishvalan Alphonse Elric, Ishbalan | Ishvalan Edward Elric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 01:05:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17214152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngjusticewriter/pseuds/youngjusticewriter
Summary: They're feeding the ducks.That's it; that's their cover story.





	All the world's a stage.

They're feeding the ducks. 

That's it; that's their cover story. It helps, Edward thinks as he takes off his boots which he chucks to the side, that everyone knows he's a state alchemist and Alphonse has a mushy heart for animals...though Al got a soft spot particularly for cats. His flesh toes wiggle on the warm concrete. Edward can't wait to dip his legs in the flowing body of water. Despite it being fucking winter the place Mustang sent them to (on a wild goose chase) has been hot. So hot Edward would have thought it was summer. Ugh. 

"Could you hold the bread brother?" Edward jerks his head up at the soft voice of his little brother. Golden eyes flicker to the crumbling loaf in the hollow, metal gauntlets that are Al's hands. He can't have apple dipped in honey, the head of a fish so not to be the tail instead of the head in the coming year, or, even if Al did have his body back, Edward honestly doesn't remember their mom's recipe for Challah. Just another thing he's taken from his brother, Edward grimly thinks before putting on a smile. 

"Sure," Edward agrees before gently taking the bread with his gloved hands. The crumbs that linger on his gauntlets are the first Al tosses into the water. Edward follows suit, more action than thought, before handing his little brother some more. Gold eyes (their father's eyes instead of mom's) linger on the armor as Edward whispers. Despite the pray he murmurs under his breath Edward isn't truly asking for repentance for his sins; he can't ask for forgiveness until he gets Alphonse his body back. 

...Then maybe he could -

"May I have some bread?" Edward whirls around, crumbled loaf dropping to his bare feet as his hands are brought close together in fear. (Why hadn't he heard him?) The man, with dark skin that matches Edward's own, is wearing glasses but Edward gets the feeling that there's amusement at seeing a pipsqueak kid dropping a loaf of bread because he's too small to hold the weight of it much less fight him. Oh just he wait- 

Wait. 

Edward glances at the man's face before looking at his hair then Edward's eyes drop to his face again. This time he's staring at the glasses not the tone of skin. 

Oh, well, umm. 

(Shit.) 

How? 

The man leans down as Edward's silence from shock continues. Edward's mind is whirling, it's as fast as any train to Central, but voicing his thoughts is too much apparently. The stranger picks up the bread fallen before Edward's bare feet and offers it back to him. 

There are questions on Edward's tongue but he knows asking them in public is dangerous. So Edward asks instead, "You want to feed the ducks too?" 

The man smiles down on Edward. The expression looks out of practice on his face but, shit, who could blame him? 

"Feeding the ducks," the man murmurs more to himself than to confirm Edward's lie. 

Edward puts on a smile on in return. (They have to be actors to live on this stage.) "Yep. Al's got a soft heart."


End file.
